Bar-lock switch



Jan. 12 1926. 1,569,669

' C. NORTON BAR LOCK SWITCH Filed April 11,- 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR ATTORNEY$ Jan. 12 1926.

C. NORTON BAR LOCK SWITCH Filed April 11, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR (b/ford flow/0n Patented Jan. 12, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,569,669 PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD NORTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GRAHAM & NORTON COM- PANY, NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

BAR-LOCK SWITCH.

Application filed April 11, 1923. Serial No. 631,378.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD NORTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bar- Lock Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices wherein a locking bar or member and an electric switch are so combined that the act of causing the locking bar or member to lock will produce a change of condition of an electric current while the act of unlocking to free, for instance, a door or other object, will produce a change to an opposite condition.

The invention is particularly applicable to bar looks or other locking members and electric switches as combined with the doors of elevators or elevator wells in such manner that the switch, by governing the condition of an operating or controlling circuit of the elevator, will make it impossible to operate or move the elevator itself while the dooris unlocked and until it is closed and locked.

The invention, however, may be applied under other conditions or with other apparatus where it is desired to make the operation of a device dependent upon the position or condition of a lock for said device, the position of said lock determining the condition of a controlling electric circuit.

The invention will be described, however, as applied to the door of an elevator well, said door being provided with a lock which looks upon a part carried by the frame or other fixed object when the door is closed and, in such position, operates upon an electric circuit.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective and strong device in which the switch is actuated positively in both directions to make and break the circuit or produce other change of electrical condition by the positive action of the bar lock or other locking member carried by the moving door or other moving device and without the use of a spring or springs for moving the switch into and holding itin the position which is assumed by it when the locking device is withdrawn from looking position.

A further object of my invention is to the switch, in case said switch should be thrown back to closed condition by means operated independently of the look after the same has been disengaged from the part with which it engages to hold in closed position.

To this end my invention consists in the combination of devices and construction of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 51 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention and shows the locking bar or member in locked position and the switch in corresponding normal position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical central section through the switch box and the switch mounted thereon on the line 33 Fig. 4, and shows the position of the parts when the lock is in locking posit-ion.

Fig. 4 is an edge view and partial section on the line 4.4 Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5-5 Fig. 4..

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a detail of the switch.

1 indicates the locking bar or member, the

extremity of which is provided with a catch 2 for interlocking engagement with an abutment 3 when the catch or dog is entered within the'casing 4 through an opening 1 in said casing. Said locking bar 1 is guided vertically in guides 5 which are attached to the elevator well door 20 or other door or device which is supposed to be capable of a backward and forward movement in the direction of the double arrow 6. When the bar is' drawn down to lower the catch 2, said catch may be withdrawn horizontally through the opening in the side of the easing 4, this change of position permitting the door or other device carrying the guides and lock to be moved away from the position indicated for any purpose, as for instance, for opening the elevator door or the elevator well door as the case ma' be. The casing 4 is suitably secured in iixed position to the upper rail of thedoor opening indicated at 15 and the connections of the switch are carried to the posts 12 12 through the conduit 16 in the side of the box near its upper edge.

The means for operating the bar look as well as the mechanism for imparting movement to the door, maybe of any of the usual constructions. Usually a spring is employed, as indicated at v7, which normally tends to raise the bar 1 and cause it to assume and retain the position shown, which is the locked position for the bar and door carrying the same. On the movement of the door to this position the incline on the dog or latch Q'encounters the edge of the opening in the side of the casing 4 and by the action of said incline, the bar lock is lowered against the action of its spring to per-- mit it to enter the opening. Should the spring 7 fail the bar will descend by its own weight carrying with it the dog and member or members of the switch with which the dog is interlocked in the locked position of said bar or member.

In combination with said lock and mounted within the casing 4 is an electric switch of such character that, when thrown into either one of its positions, that is to say for instance, closed or open position, it will naturally retain that positlon untll positively thrown to the reverse position. Said switch, being thus constructed to be without bias effective to shift it from open or safety position to closed position, renders the use of springs for throwing it in one direction unnecessary and also permits it to be thrown positively in both directions by the action of the locking bar and lock 2 in the manner required for use of the apparatus in connection with an elevator door or well or other object.

The switch that I prefer to employ is similar in construction to that described in my prior application filed February 2nd, 1923, Serial No. 616,485, but is provided with additional means or devices adapting it for use in combination with a lock of the character and acting in the manner described.

9 9 indicate a pair of contact members normally tending to engage one another and close the circuit by the influence of springs 10 or other devices mounted in the blocks 11 11' of insulating material. The contacting members 9 9' are pivotally mounted by preference near the upper ends of said blocks of insulating material and are electrically connected, in a suitable way, with the binding posts 12 12 mounted on the blocks 11 11 Said blocks are recessed in their meeting faces and are held in propplunger 13 formed of some good insulating material like bakelite and consisting of a bar or plate of sufficient lateral dimensions to extend well beyond the contacts, bars or levers 9 9, so as to effectually insulate the same against the formation or continuance of any are between them occurring on a break of the circuit.

The plunger 13 is shown in position for permitting closure of the circuit to render the elevator motor operative. When it is lowered and forced down' between the contacts 9 9', it separates the contacts and breaks the circuit. In this position which is a safety or open position the door may be unlocked and moved freely since in this position of the switch it is impossible to operate the electric motor of the elevator. The member 13 retains this circuit-opening position until raised again by the positive action of the lock or catch as will be presently described.

The mounting and guiding of the plunger or separator member 13 is provided for by the following construction whereby also said plunger may be positively actuated by the dog 2.

16 indicates a U-shaped or stirrup-shaped plate of metal cut away in its sides as indicated at 16'. The separator member 13 is notched as indicated at 13', on its edges to permit it to be interlocked with the crossingportion of the plate or stirrup 16 above the opening 16. This interlocking is effected by bending the two sides of the stirrup or U-shaped piece 16 into the position shown after assembling the parts in proper relation to one another. This effects a union which secures the bakelite separator 13 against displacement either laterally or vertically and insures movement of the separator block itself under any mechanical action of the lock upon the metal stirrup 16. It will be seen that the openings 16 extend below the lower edge of the separator 13 so that the contact ends of the members 9 9 are visible and accessible therethrough for .inspection or other purposes.

The actuating member 16 which operates on the separator 13 is provided with a crossbar or in 8 with which theylock 2 may ongage w en it is moved upwardly so as to shift the switch by a positive action into a position for closing the circuit. Said lock enters between the two legs of the U or stirrup and, when depressed, engages the bottom of the stirrup and throws the switch positively in the opposite direction, thereby, 1n the present instance, producing a break of the clrcuit.

14 indicates metal guides formed within the inner side of the back of the casing and the inner side of the cover for engagement by the edges of the metal stirrup 16. These guides take up the shock of impact of the lock 2 when it enters the casing or operates to shift the switch and prevents the shock froinreaching the comparatively weak separator or plunger 13 which, in the preferred construction, is of bakelite or other suitable insulating material capable of being readily worked or molded. The two blocks 11 11' at their rear portions fill the space between the back and front walls'of the casing, thus adding to the solidity of the construction but, as shown, they are suitably recessed or cut away at their outer faces to afford space for the working of the metal supporting stirrup 16.

After the door is moved, as for instance, to close it, and the dog 2 is thereby caused to enter the casing for the purpose of assuming-locking position and is caused to moveupward by the action of the spring or other means, so that it will lock against withdrawal, it acts positively upon the pin or projection 8 of the movableswitch member and raises the actuating member 16, thus closing or permitting the circuit to be closed in obvious manner or producing other change of condition according to the construction of the switch employed with the switch-actuating member 16. The act of lowering the lockin bar 1 and locking bar 2 to unlock it preliminary to its withdrawal by the movement of the door or other device, causes a positive actuation of the switch in the opposite direction by engagement of the locking bar with the foot of the stirrup or carrier 16, thereby positively actuating the switch to cause it to reverse its position and the condition of the electric circuit. The full movement of the switch to produce this effect is insured because the dog cannot be disengaged for withdrawal to permit movement of the door until it is depressed to the full extent necessary to allow it to be moved to the left. When so moved, it leaves the switch in a position to which it has been thrown by the downward movement of the lock in the unlocking action and this position the switch maintains until the parts are restored to the position shown in the drawings by the action of the look upon the pin 8.

It will be observed that in my improved device the change of electrical condition is insured owing to the positive action of the lock upon an operating member of the switch in the act of withdrawing the look from such locking position, whereas in some previous constructions of devices, dependence is placed upon the action ofja spring to throw the switch when said spring is relieved from the pressure of the lock to which it is subjected in the locking position therethe act of unlocking, it must retain such position in order that the elevating mechanism or apparatus may remain inoperative while the door is in unlocked condition or in a position such that the door opening is only partially closed. Should the switch be thrown up again inadvertently or by design. it might remain in such elevated position since the action of gravity alone might not be sufiicient to overcome friction between the plunger and the contacts, said friction being assisted by the action of the springs which tend to force the contacts together so that, under the conditi in supposed, the switch would remain closed. To insure the restoration of the switch to the normal or safety position in which it should be maintained so long as the dog is removed from the locking position, I provide means consisting preferably of a suitable spring sufliciently powerful to more the switch from the lifted position back to the normal position for unlocked condition of the door.

Such a spring is a coiled spring 17 which is retained under compression by being confined at its upper end against the bottom of the insulating block while its lower end rests upon a suitable support or bracket attached to the operating member of the switch and comprising a plate 18 secured at the bottom of the stirrup 01' U-shaped carrier or support 16. The spring may be suported and guided in its actions on the pin 19 secured in a socket in the bottom of the insulating block. h Ianifestly. the dog acts normally to retain the switch in the position shown or desired for locked condition by engaging pin 8. After the lock is withdrawn and the switch positively thrown to the opposite position, the latter retains such position by gravity assisted by the action of the spring 17. If the spring 17 were not present, however, and the switch were thrown up again inadvertently or by design, it might remain in such lifted position. The spring 17 corrects this, however, and as will be understood, is of sufiicient force to throw the switch back to its lowermost position. A normal lifting action is, however. assured owing to the positive operation of the lock upon the switch pin 8.

It should be understood that the parts are so proportioned and organized that in the normal operation the movement of the dog 2 downward will first cause the circuit to be broken and will then and afterward reach the fully unlocked position from which it may be withdrawn by movement of the door. In the reverse movement of the parts the circuit will not be closed until after the do has risen sufiiciently' to reach position suc that it will be locked against the abutment. Hence it is absolutely necessary to lock the door before the operating mechanism of .the elevator becomes operative and, conversely, it is necessary to render such 0 crating mechanism inoperative before the ock is moved sufiiciently in the unlockin operations to permit the door to be movei v Furthermore as will be seen the failure of the spring 7 which holds the bar in its locked position and the switch in normal or closed position will be immediately followed by establishment of a safety condition since the bar will descend by its own wei ht thus carrying the switch interlocked with said bar from normal to safety or open position of the switch thus rendering it impossible to perate the elevator motor.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination of an electric switch, a locking bar or member adapted to interlock with and positively throw said switch both to normal position in the locking and to safety position in the unlocking movement of said bar and means for automatically throwing said switch back from safety position to position normal for the unlocked position of said bar independently of said bar in case of manual or accidental shifting of said switch away from safety position independently of said locking bar or member.

2. The combination of an electric switch, a locking bar or member adapted to interlock with and positively engage and open said switch in its unlocking movement and a spring acting on the switch to automatically restore said switch to osition normal for the unlocked condition in case of manual or accidental shifting of the same.

3. The combination with a pair of contact members normally having a bias to' cause themto contact with one another, an insulating plunger or block adapted to be reciprocated between them in order to cause a make and break of circuit and a U-shaped bar or carrier the side members of which are interlocked with the I edge of said plunger. I

4. The combination of a reciprocating block of insulating material, a contact member adapted to be displaced in position thereby for the purpose of breakin the circuit, a metal carrier for said bloc an insulating element for supporting said contact member and metal guides supported by said insulating element for guiding said carrier and an actuating device for the carrier adapted to be entered in the box and to engage and operate on the carrier.

7 5. The combination of an electric switch 1 and unlock, and means connected with said insulating plunger for engagement by said lockin bar to move the plunger positively in bot 1 directions.

6. The combination of a pair of contacting members and a plunger of insulating material adapted to se arate the same, insulating blocks. in w ich the contacting members are mounted, a casin surrounding and slgiporting the same and uide members 0 metal guided against t e walls of the casin and carrying said plun er and means adapted to extend into sai casing transversely to said guide members for controllin I said lunger.

7. T e com ination with a air of contacting members normally havlng a bias to cause them to contact with one another, an insulating plunger adapted to separate and hold the same separated, a lockmg bar or member mounted upon a door or other object movable to bring said lock into lockin position, said bar lock beingguided an movable in a transverse direction to the first-named movement to cause it to lock and unlock against an abutment and means for positively actuating said plunger in both directions by the latter movements'of the locking bar.

8. The combination of a reciprocating electric switch adapted to retain its position for either change of electric circuit condition produced by the movements of said switch, a door, a locking bar capable of vertical movement on said door and guided thereon and provided with a suitable latch, an abutment with which the latch engages or from which it is disengaged by the vertical movement of the bar and means for positively actuating the switch by the bar in both directions of said vertical movement.

9. In an electric switch and lock, the combination of a plunger, a member carrying the same and a locking dog operating on said member by interlocking engagement therewith in reaching both locking and unlocking position and imparting movement positively to said plunger in both directions.

10. The combination substantially as described of a vertical guiding locking bar mounted on a door, a switch interlocking switch to position for closing or ren ering a circuit operative when the bar is lifted in interlocking engagement with the switch, and a spring applied to the bar and acting to hold the same in lifted position with the switch in closed position whereby on failure of the spring the weight of the bar will cause the "switch while interlocked with the bar to be reversed by the weight of the bar and open the circuit.

Signed at New York, in the county of 10 New York and State of New York, thi 9th day of April A. D. 1923.

CLIFFORD NORTON. 

